The German Conquistador Nikolaus
Federmann reached the altiplano of Bogotá in 1536 by approaching
it from the plains of Venezuela, a large unsettled area that is formed by
the Orinoco basin. However, this vast area, remained unexplored and
uncolonized for the next 300 years. Colombia was settled along the mountainous
folds of the Magdalena and Cauca valleys, and all of its
commerce with the outside world was oriented towards the Caribbean sea,
thus, because of its mountainous barriers, the extreme heat, and inhospitable
climate, the
